District of Columbia Department of Human Resources Internships

The DC Department of Human Resources (DCHR) provides human resource management services that strengthen individual and organizational performance and enable the District government to attract, develop and retain a well-qualified, diverse workforce.

The Washington, DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) is always seeking qualified individuals to consider careers in law enforcement either as sworn members or as civilian employees that support the vital mission of the agency. MPD is pleased to offer challenging and rewarding opportunities for professional development to qualified students. Internships allow students to think about the transition from school to practice and to develop insights into the law enforcement profession that are rarely available in a conventional classroom setting. The MPD non-paid internship program introduces students to aspects of law enforcement that enhance students’ understanding of the criminal justice system. In addition, students are introduced to the various career opportunities that await them should they decide to choose law enforcement as a career either as a police officer or as a civilian employee.

Students who participate in the MPD Internship Program may receive academic credit for their fieldwork in accordance with the criteria developed by their particular institution. Interns will be closely supervised and will be exposed to exciting opportunities such as brown-bag luncheons with Command Staff members, ride-alongs, visits to the Metropolitan Police Academy training facilities, and opportunities to observe the Joint Operation Command Center, a state-of-the-art communication center designed to coordinate law enforcement activities among various federal and state public safety agencies.

The MPD Internship Program also provides information to students who wish to enter careers in law enforcement such as the application process for sworn membership, the background investigation process, and pointers on interviewing and drafting a resume. Students interested in becoming police officers will be able to meet with MPD recruiters and arrange to take the entry-level examination during their internship.

Students participating in the MPD Internship Program must be a bona fide student at an accredited college or university. Students must be in their sophomore, junior, or senior year with a minimum of 45 credits. Graduate students must have completed at least the first year of graduate school as determined by the total number of credit hours completed. Students must be a United States citizen or naturalized citizen. However in some instances, foreign students will be considered provided the student is here on the appropriate student visa.

Students in the semester program must complete a minimum of 16 hours per week for a minimum of 14 weeks. Summer program students will be required to complete a minimum of 32 hours per week for a minimum of eight weeks depending on the time-frame as established by the student’s sponsoring school. Students may be employed part-time outside of the MPD provided that their work hours do not interfere with their MPD assignments and work hours. Some internship assignments might require the student to work rotating shift or a tour-of-duty outside the normal 0900-1600 tour used by private sector employers. In these cases, students will be informed of the hours prior to accepting the internship with the unit.

Fourteen-week work commitment for semester program at least 16 hours per week and no more than 40 hours per week. (Intern may be assigned to work various tours of duty based on the needs of the unit where they are assigned).

Interns may apply to MPD directly via the MPD website (mpdc.dc.gov). Once the application is received, it will be disseminated to various MPD units for review and consideration. Applicants will then be contacted for face-to-face or phone interviews. Applicants will be notified of their selection at least one month prior to their start date. Once notified of their selection, applicants will be given directions for completing the processing requirements.

Timeline:

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For Fall Semester (September to December)Application due by June 1Notified of decision by August 1

For Spring Semester (January to May)Application due by October 15Notified of decision by December 15

<A id=evaluation name=evaluation>Evaluation & GradingStudents will be evaluated in a manner consistent with the evaluation criteria developed by the college or university where the student is receiving course credit. The final grade given to the student is at the sole discretion of the college/university. Each intern will complete an evaluation form and attend a debriefing session at the end of the internship to discuss their internship experience and meet other interns. Students will be evaluated on project assignments and work ethic (on time arrival, proper dress, customer service, etc). Students will not receive final evaluations until they have completed the minimum number of hours as set forth in the commitment section, above.